Curry Coz you can !

Tag Archives: prawns

In tow with Mrs Demonology round the local supermarket is never my chosen pastime, for my part I would have it delivered but Mrs Demonology is very particular preferring to inspect, feel and caress all that is natural that we purchase on our weekly expedition to spend. spend. spend. That said whilst on this recent sojourn I espied a pack of fish made up of Salmon, and some various white fish, and finished off with some of that strange yellow smoked fish assembled by the supermarket for a Fish Pie, a dish I enjoy very much but also very useful to those intent on the Fish Curry front just add a few prawns and bingo away you go!

This recipe is my own and one that I really enjoy making as it takes no time and can be made and left to stand, which in my opinion does much to improve it. My best advice is make the curry sauce, set aside then marinade the fish for about four hours then cook the final dish for your tea or supper. Its like it says on the label sweet and sour and for this I use Jaggery for the sweet. I love Jaggery its a very rough unrefined sugar that has a rich sweet caramel taste, if you cant get your hands on it Demerara sugar will do just as well but you may need a little more. The Tamarind comes in a jar and can be found on the shelf of the local supermarket or from your favourite Indian supplier for sure!

The What’s in it

1 tbsp. Ghee

12 Curry leaves

1tsp Fenugreek whole

1tsp Coriander whole

1tsp whole Black Peppercorns

1tsp Aniseed whole

1 red Onions

1 tsp Turmeric

3 green Chillies chopped & Deseeded

2 cloves Garlic

1 inch Ginger

3 Tomtoes chopped

2 cup(1/2Pint) Fish stock

165 ml Coconut milk

2 tsp Jaggery

1 tsp Tamarind

1/2 tsp red Chilli Powder

1 tablespoon Garam masala

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The Marinade

Place the fish and Prawns in the fridge soaking up the marinade for about 4 hours, or longer

2 tbsp. Lime juice

1tsp Ground Aniseed

1tsp Amchoor

1tsp salt

Fish

Prawns

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The How To

Heat the ghee and add the Curry leaves, fenugreek, Coriander, peppercorns, cook for a minute or so then add the onions.

Cook the onions long and slowly on a low to medium flame. I cant say it often enough take your times with the onions they are the vital ingredient and the base for much that follows.

After a good fifteen to twenty minutes and the onion is golden brown add the chilli, garlic, ginger, and cook through for another five minutes or so.

Remember that once you add the Garlic and ginger the onions will not brown any more and it is this onion colour that will reflect in the final dish, so have patience.

Add the Turmeric and Tomatoes and continue to cook through until the moisture has cooked out, at this point you can add the fish stock, a good indicator of this is that the turmeric will be catching on the bottom of the pan

Once you add the stock the Peppercorns will float to the surface and I like to remove them picking them up with a fork an exercise that goes a long way to prove patience is a virtue!…..

Bring everything back to the boil and then stir in the Coconut milk, Jaggery, and Tamarind and allow to reduce to a thick gravy, taste and adjust the seasoning adding the extra Chilli powder Garam Masala and Salt as you feel.

At this point I cover and set it aside make the marinade have a beer, wime fruit juice or just kick back for four hours or so, however if you have made the marinade drain the fish and prawns from the marinade and add to a hot sauce and cook the fish through this shouldn’t take more than 5 to 10 minutes before its ready to serve with whatever you fancy, Naans for me!

First things first this isn’t a budget recipe and therefore not one for the kids, Prawns and Salmon are not cheap where I come from, but the food police tell me the Salmon is good for me lots of Omega 5 whatever that is brain stuff I’m reliably informed. Fish wherever you buy it these days is not a cheaper option than meat that’s for sure but for those of us of a pescatorial persuasion such as I and Mrs Demonology, fish is the protein of choice.

This is a fantastic recipe none the less, delicious and as such one that should be reserved for the one that you love most in the world, they whoever they may be will not fail to be impressed by how deep the sauce flavouring is; so full of flavours and textures that bring the mouth alive in an explosion of curryness……., and further you will win never ending praise for your cooking prowess……… men take note, score big points with this one:)

Although the spicing ingredients are fairly complex it isn’t a tricky dish to cook, but as with all good recipes all you really need to do is ensure that you have assembled the ingredients before you light the stove; and just in case you thought there was a mistake there is no ginger in this recipe all the heat comes from the chillies and to be honest it’s hot and spicy enough enough with a sauce on the thick side, sourness coming from the tamarind, and a sweetness from the Jaggery just for good measure. Get those flavours how you like it and “POW” a fantastic dish and taste sensation for sure. Honestly though it may sound complex but its not…….

This dish serves 2 persons….

Whats in it

12 good sized raw Prawns peeled and deveined

2 Salmon steaks

2 tsp Tamarind pulp

4 green Chillies de-seeded and rough chopped

4 plump Garlic cloves rough chopped

1 tsp Cumin seeds

50ml (2 Fl oz ) veg oil

2large Onions Finely Chopped

0.5 tsp Cumin Powder

0.5 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Red Chilli powder

1 Tsp Garam masala

0.5 tsp Turmeric powder

Small tin chopped Tomatoes( 200gm ish)

1 Heaped teaspoon Jaggery/ or brown Sugar

200ml fish stock

10 curry leaves

A drizzle of yoghurt to finish

Salt to taste

The How to

The first job here is to deseed the green chilles, and grind them together into a paste with the 4 garlic cloves and the cumin seeds…..

Heat the oil in your chosen pan and fry the onions until they are a nice golden brown colour at that point add the garlic, chilli paste, and fry off for a further couple of minutes…

At this point it is safe to add all those spices the cumin , coriander, red chilli, garam masala, and turmeric powders, and stir constantly for about a minute, you might need to add a drizzle of water here too just to stop the spices catching on the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes and cook on a low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time…..

Add half the tamarind , all the jaggery/brown sugar and the curry leaves, and salt to taste…. Now you need to bring your palate into play and balance the dish to how you like it!

Add more tamarind if you think it needs more sour, or sugar/ Jaggery for the sweet, be carefull though and remember sometimes less is more. Don’t add anymore salt for the moment as the fish stock may well bring some saltiness to the recipe.

Add the fish stock in small amounts and simmer your finished sauce for about 5 minutes or until the sauce reduces to a consistency that in your opinion is little wetter than you would serve it at, but wet enough to cook the fish through bearing in mind that you have about 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time left…

At this point add the Salmon cover and cook for about 8 minutes on a simmer level of cooking, if it is a little dry during the cooking of the fish you can add a little more stock, coating the salmon flesh with the sauce, then turn the salmon over after the eight minutes and cook for a further five minutes or until the salmon is cooked and flaking nicely, adding the prawns about 4 minutes before you serve , remember that the prawns

literally need no more than a couple of minutes so these should be added at the very end, the sauce should be nice and thick and unctuous when the ready to serve, finally add a little more salt if you thinks it needs it.

Add a drizzle of yoghurt when its on the plate and serve with rice Naans or traditionally Daal, whatever you like……Enjoy!